Caribou “Andorra” (Best of the Decade)
I was a latecomer to the Caribou party in 2007 when Andorra was released, unfortunately missing out on one of the best albums of that year until the following annum. Somehow I had erroneously predicted that music produced by a Canadian mathematics doctorate named Snaith who named his band after an LSD experience in the Canadian wilderness wouldn’t be awesome. Oh, how wrong I was. Andorra is a blissful trip from beginning to end, successfully melding electronica with sunshine-psychedelia into a soaring soundscape of sonic peaks and valleys. Dan Snaith’s vocals are gorgeous and pristine, guiding the listener through a maze of strings, flute, and clipped percussion. The album’s lead single “Melody Day,” is the most immediately catchy track of the bunch, but the druggy chaos of “Sandy” or the yearning climaxes of “Desiree,” are notable as well. Considering that three of the record’s nine tracks could easily find their way into best of the decade lists, it should be no surprise that Andorra is amongst the strongest records of that time frame.
Caribou “Melody Day” [MP3]